COURSE PLAN : MPS235
SECTION I
Class 2MPCL-A Semester 2
Course Code MPS235 Course Title Biological
Foundations of
Behaviour- II
Hours 60 Hours per week 4
Faculty name Dr. K. Jayasankara Contact details (email, jayasankara.reddy@
Reddy Cabin No, Office Hours) christuniversity.in
Dr. Padma Kumari padma.kumari@chri
stuniversity.in
Cabin No.783, 7th
floor, Central Block
Credits 4 Course Type Core
General Guidelines:
Class policies and 1. Students are to be in class before the second bell.
guidelines 2. Talking out of turn in class is prohibited.
3. Use of headphones, mobile phones and laptops during class
is prohibited, unless permission is obtained for the same.
4. Sleeping is prohibited during class hours and will account
for cancellation of attendance for the hour. Students who are
unwell may use the service of the infirmary or avail leave.
5. If a student disrupts the class continuously, he/she may be
asked to leave and his/her attendance for the hour will be
canceled.
Attendance and Participation: Class attendance and participation
in class discussion are compulsory.
Readings: Completion of assigned readings (textbook chapters) is
expected.
Exams: There will be 2 CIAs worth 30 & 35 marks each. Make-up
assignments will only be provided in the case of an emergency and
students are expected to submit it on time and late assignments will
not be accepted. 1 mark will be reduced for every day past the day
of submission, up to 3 working days. Assignments submitted
beyond this will not be evaluated.
Plagiarism (copying any material from any published or
unpublished & submit work as your own) will be dealt with
seriously.
This Course intends to familiarize students with an introductory
Course Description
knowledge of the topics and methods of biological psychology to
create an understanding of the underlying biological foundations of
human behavior. This course is an extension of Biological
foundations of behavior taught in the first semester
1. Identify the biological structures that underlie psychological
Course Learning processes.
Outcomes 2. Analyze the brain mechanisms that underlie basic regulatory
behavior.
3. Infer the causal role of biological mechanisms on psychiatric
disorders.
4. Demonstrate the learnt neurobiological influences on human
behaviors to clinical scenarios. .
SECTION II
Week (starting Hours/ Pedagogy
Unit number Unit details and end dates) unit (per (teaching
and title week) learning
methods
used
UNIT 1: Learning: Neurophysiology 4 weeks as per 15 (4 per Lecture,
Biopsychology of of learning, Synaptic the course plan week) reading
Cognitive plasticity; research
Functions Memory: Neurological papers, Polls
basis of memory, Brain and
damage and dysfunction discussion
of memory Videos)
Language: Lateralization,
Evolution and
neurophysiology of
speech.
Disorders of reading
writing: aphasia, alexia &
dyslexia.
UNIT II: Physiological correlations 4 weeks as per 15 discussions
Biopsychology of of Arousal: consciousness the course plan (4 per week) and Videos
Arousal and sleep, Factors
affecting consciousness.
Sleep: Rhythms of
sleeping and waking,
neural basis of biological
clocks, Stages of sleep,
brain mechanisms of REM
sleep and dreaming,
physiological mechanisms
of sleep and waking,
disorder of sleep
UNIT III: Hunger –theories, neural 4 weeks as per 15 discussions
Biopsychology of signals; Thirst-neural the course plan (4 per week) and Videos,
Motivation mechanisms; Human case analysis
obesity. Anorexia nervosa
Sex- hormones and sexual
development, neural
mechanism of sexual
behavior, sexual
orientations, hormones
and the brain.
UNIT IV: Schizophrenia, Substance 4 weeks as per 15 Classroom
Biopsychology of abuse disorders, Major the course plan (4 per week) discussions
Psychiatric affective disorders, and and Videos,
Disorders Anxiety disorders. case analysis
SECTION III
Course Outcomes and Programme Outcome Mapping
Course Outcomes Programme Outcomes (please take up the strength mapping here, map your
COs to POs at -, 1, 2, and 3)
PO1: PO2: Identify PO3: PO4: PO5:Identify,ap
Demonstrate and distinguish Review Demonstrate proach and
theoretical between and social and engage diverse
knowledge of disorders, analyze cultural communities or
general and evaluate and scientific competence stakeholders
clinical assess various texts, in and support
psychology conditions that develop interactions them through
arise in clinical research with promotion,
practice; use proposals individuals of prevention and
clinical judgment and diverse psychosocial
in case conduct, backgrounds interventions.
conceptualizatio document
n and and
intervention. dissemina
te
research.
CO1 Identifies the 3
biological structures
that underlie
psychological
processes.
CO2 Analyze the 2
brain mechanisms
that underlie basic
regulatory behavior.
CO3 Infer the 2
causal role of
biological
mechanisms on
psychiatric
disorders.
CO4 Demonstrate 2
the learnt
neurobiological
influences on
human behaviors to
clinical scenarios.
Course Outcome and Continuous Internal Assessment Mapping
Learning Outcomes of the Components of assessment (examples given below)
course
CIA I CIA II ESE
CO 1: Identify the biological ● ● ●
structures that underlie
psychological processes.
CO 2: Analyze the brain ● ● ●
mechanisms that underlie
basic regulatory behavior.
CO 3: Infer the causal role ●
of biological mechanisms
on psychiatric disorders.
CO 4: Demonstrate the ●
learnt neurobiological
influences on human
behaviors to clinical
scenarios.
SECTION IV
Assessment outline:
There will be two CIAs of 30 marks each. The CIA 1 will be an individual written typed
assignment which has to be submitted on Moodle. The CIA 2 will be an in class test which
will be done on Moodle. A minimum of 50% will be required for a pass in CIAs and only one
repeat attempt is allowed to clear the CIA. The late CIA submissions will not be accepted.
The ESE will be a written examination for two hours for 50 marks.
CIA I Assessment Description: Due date - 20th Feb, 2023
“Deconstructing my week” (30 marks)
Individual written assignment. The objectives are for students to (a) identify the underlying
cognitive processes of their day-to-day activities such as sleep, interacting with friends, and
hobbies, and, (b) apply the biopsychological knowledge learnt in class to analyze the chosen
activities.
Instructions:
● Observe and make a note of your day-to-day activities for a week (at least five).
● Identify the cognitive processes that are involved in these behaviors.
● Evaluate the interaction between the day-to-day activities and cognitive processes and
analyze the underlying biological mechanisms.
Prepare a 1500 – 2000 word Commentary report (3-4 pages). The report should contain (a) a
brief introduction about the activities, rationale for choosing these activities; (b) main section
on the identification of cognitive processes and analysis of biological mechanisms.
CIA II Assessment Description: 6th April, 2023
Brain Game: In Class assignment (30 marks)
Case vignettes will be given in class. Using your knowledge of the brain and nervous system,
based on the topics covered in the class, answer the questions that follow each of the cases.
The test will be done on Moodle. Correct answer for each case will fetch you 1 mark.
Learning outcomes:
These are clear, specific, measurable statements that state what the learners will be able to do
at the end of the assignment. These can be formulated using the action verbs listed in
Bloom’s Taxonomy (Revised) and can be mapped against the different levels of cognition.
The taxonomy is available on KP and at the link given below:
https://www.slideshare.net/tjcarter/revised-blooms-taxonomy-action-verbs
Evaluation Rubric/s:
Include the evaluation rubric here. You can get more information about rubrics at the link
given to the course material on the MOOC on Assessment in Higher Education by Erasmus
University, Rotterdam, available on Coursera (https://www.coursera.org/lecture/assessment-
higher-education/what-are-rubrics-and-why-would-you-use-them-uODX8).
Code of Research Conduct and Ethics:
https://kp.christuniversity.in/KnowledgePro/images/Regulations/CRCE.pdf
